Clutch for concentric rotary parts.



F. S. ELLETT. CLUTCH FOB. GONCENTRIC ROTARY vPARTS.

wf/f WM5 INVENTOR:

APrLIoATIoN FILED JUNI: 7, 1909.

sar/M F|G.l.

WITNEssEs:

FREDERICK S. ELLETT, 0F ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

CLUTCH FOR OOZNCENTRIG ROTARY PARTS.

Specication OLetters Patent. Patented Sept. 21, 1909.

Application led June 7, 1909. Serial No. 500,729.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, F REDERIGK S. ELLETT, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Elmira, in the county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented certainy new and useful Improvements in Clutches for Concentrio Rotary Parts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clutches for concentric rotary parts. Its object is to meet the requirements of motor cycles, and like vehicles, in which the engine is cranked by the propulsion of the vehicle, and which, on occasion, are required to run free of the engine, and, remain stationary while the engine continues to run.

.In the drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the complete device; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the shftable connector; and Fig. 4 is a similar View Of the locking bar.

The pulley 1, which 4may .be of any desired crosssection, is revolubly supported by ball bearings 2 upon a. block 3 which is an enlarged extension of the motor-shaft 4. Beyond the balls 2 the diameter of the block 3 is reduced, and has a heavy triple thread 5 cut upon it. The extreme end 3Si of the block 3, which has a longitudinal slot 6, is

of still smaller diameter, and a cone 7 is i threaded upon the end 3, and locked in place by a nut 8. Said cone carries ball bearings 9, upon which a cap 10 is supported that is practically anintegral part ofthe pulley 1, g

inasmuch as it is fastened to the latter by screws 11.

As the parts described st and by themselves,

it is obvious that the pulley 1 and the motor- In i shaft f1 .are independently revoluble. order that the motor may drive the pulley, and the pulley, when it overruns the motor,

may serve to rotate the latter, a shiftable connector is interposed between the motorshaft and the pulley. The connector shown in the drawings is a nut 12 that is grooved internally to fit the screw-threads 5 on the block 3. A spring retarder 13 that encircles said nut, acts as a drag against the inner periphery of the pulley 1 when the latter is revolved, and so secures the rotation of the nut on the shaftthat shifts it to one side or the other when the wheel and shaft revolve at different speeds. The direction of the threads is such that when the pulley 1 engage said notches.

rotates in advance of the shaft, the nut 12 moves in one direction (toward the right in Fig. 1) till its tapered end 14 wedges into a tapered socket 15 in the cap 10. As the nut can move no farther, it binds against the threads 5, and so turns the block 3 and cranks the motor. The latter at once speeds ahead of the pulley, so that the threads 5 carry the nut 12 in the opposite direction (toward the left in Fig. 1). Another tapered face 15 on the inner end of the nut then engages and wedgesinto a tapered .socket 17 in the ulley 1, so that the latter is revolved wlii the vehic i In order to 'prevent the nut 12 from moving over to engage the socket 15, when it is I desired to drive or run the vehicle without turning the motor-shaft, a bar 18 is employed that ,is adapted to enter a slot 6 in the shaft-extension V3". The bar 18 `forms part of a sleeve 19,`and is pressed toward the nut 12 by a coiled spring 20, but normally is prevented from touching the nut by a rod 21, that extends through an inner sleeve 22. Said rod is connected with a suitable manipulating lever on some part of the vehicle (not shown).

Vhen it is'desired to hold the nut 12 midway between the sockets 15 and 17, so that it enga es neither of them, the rod 21 is release and the spring 20 presses the bar 18 against the outer face of said nut. In this outer face are notches 23 (Fig. 3) which are adapted to receive the bar 18.. When the nut 12 is against the socket 17 (Fig. "1), so that the motor is driving the wheel 1, the relative positions of the notches 23 and the bar 18 are as shown in Fig. 2. Said nut therefore must be carried a part of a revolution about the shaft 3 before the bar 18 can The nut is so moved when the pulley 1 overruns the motor, and

is assured by the drag of the retarder 13 on the pulley, as previously described. Then the nut has moved far enough to permit the bar 18 to be pressed into the notches 23, it is free from both thesockets 17 and 15, and rotates with the shaft of the motor. When it is desired to connect the pulley 1 with the motor, the rod 21 is pulled out till it relea-ses the bar 18 from the nut 12, which is then carried into the socket 15 as before described. Th e slots 23 are so arranged that the bar 18 can only enter thenrwhen the nut without at the same time driving the motor,

and, furthermore, it' enables the rider to disconnect the driven wheel from the motor so that the former is free, as in coasting, or while the machine is standing temporarily. In order vto disconnect the pulley 1 from e the' motorshaftwhen the latter is rotating,

it is necessa that the pul ey 1 will overrun the motorshaft, whenthe nut 12 moves to the ri ht and the bar l1 81engages its notches 23. v

- withdrawing the bar 18 from the notches 25,

the nut 12 is released and caused to move into theesocket 17 again, so that the motor picks up the pulley and drives the machine as before. while the bar 18 is in its retracted position (withdrawn from the socket l23) the pulley 1 and motor-shaft will always be clutched together, for if the motor-shaft is revolving at greater speed than the pulley, the nut 12 will be caused to clutch. the cone'surface 17 on said pulley, whereas, on the other hand, when conditions are reversed, said nut 12 will enga e the cone surface 15. 't

Vhat claim is 1. The combination with a rotary shaft, ofa concentric wheel, one of said parts carrying oppositelylaced clutch members; a movable clutch-b ook, concentricl with said shaft and wheel, located between said clutch members; means o erated. by the relative ro tation of said sha t and wheel, and adapted, accordin to their relative speeds, to move said blocr into enga ement with one of said clutch members; anv a movable locking de! vice carried by one of the parts first mentloned and adapted to lock the clutch-block to it in the nonengaging position of said block; substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination with a rotary shaft, of a concentric wheel, one of said parts carrying oppositely-placed clutch members, and the other having a threaded part located between said clutch members; a clutch block threaded to coperate with the .aforesaid threaded part, and adapted in either extreme position to engage a clutch member, and thereby connect said shaft and wheel; and a movable locking device kcarried by the part having the threaded connection with the clutch-block, and adapted to lock the clutchblock thereto in the nonengaging position of said clutch-block; substantially asl shown and described.

3. The combination with a rotary shaft, of a clutch-block carried by said shaft,and movable longitudinall concentric wlth saids aft, having a clutch to slow down the motor, so

It should also be noted that.

thereon; a wheel,-

memberoii each side of said block; means carried by said shaft, adapted by the relative rotation of said shaft and block to move the latter longitudinally into engagement with oneclutch member or the other of said wheel, according to the direction of rotation of said block with respect to said shaft; and a movable device carried b the shaft, adapted to lock said block to it 1n the nonengaged position of the latter; substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination with a rotary shaft,

having a screw-threaded portion, of a threaded clutch-block thereon; a wheel concentric with said shaft, having a clutch member o n each side of said block, ata distance apart greater than the width ofl said block; and a locking device carried nonrotatably by said shaft, movable thereon, and adapted to engage said block to lock it to "the shaft in its intermediate position with position of the latter; substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination with a rotary shaft, having a screw-threaded portion, of a wheel concentric with said shaft, having oppositelyplaced clutch members; a threaded clutchblock between said clutch members, adapted to engage one or the other, and having shoulders on one side; a longitudinally movable locking device, rotative with said shaft, andadapted to engage the shoulders on said block inthe intermediate position of the latter; a spring normally adapted to hold said locking device in contact with said block; and means 'for drawing said locking device out of contact with sald block; substantially as shown and described.

7. The combinationv with the pulley 1 having the clutch face 17, of the rotary shaft 4, having the screw-threaded portion 5, and slot (3; the cap 10, having the clutch face v15,- secured to said wheel; the screw-threaded nut 12, having the clutch faces 14 and 16 and notches 23; the locking bar 18 in said slot 6, adapted to enter said notches in the .intermediate position' of said nut; a spring adapted normally to hold said bar in one posltion; and means for lacing it in the other position; substantial y as shown and described.

8. The combination with a vrotary shaft, of a concentric wheel, one -of said parts carrying oppositely-placed clutch members; a l the non-engaged position of said block; a movable clutch-block concentric with said spring normally adapted to hold Said lockshaft and wheel, located between said clutch l ing device in one position; and means for members; means operated by the relative romoving said lookin device into its other tation of said shaft and wheel, and adapted position; substantia 1y as shown and de- 15 according to their relative speeds to move scribed.

said block into engagement wlth one of said g FREDERICK S. ELLETT. clutch members; a movable locking device Witnesses:

carried by one of the parts first mentioned, J. L. HERCHISKEL, 10 and adapted to lock the clutch-block to it in J oHN D. ELLETT. 

